The Kaiser as He Is; Or, the Real William II.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905. Excerpt: ... WIUJAM II. THE VIRTUOSO BUT before all and beyond all, William II. is an artist. The Simplicissimus has compared him to Nero. That is a good deal to say; at the same time, the characterisation is not entirely devoid of justice. If the Kaiser does not play upon the lute or sing in public, he composes, he writes verses, and he looks for popular approbation and persuades himself that he is brimming over with talent. Still, he is a philanthropic Nero, one who is deeply pained to throw the Christians to the lions--as was the case with the Poles. He strives to appear a good man and would very much like to charm men, just as Orpheus charmed wild beasts. According to him, music is intended to soften manners and customs. At the time of the inauguration of the new University of Fine Arts, in November, 1901, the Kaiser, speaking to the celebrated violinist, Joachim, professor at the Berlin Conservatory, said: ' You know what educational importance I attach to the art and cultivation of music. Especially would I have you understand it from the point of view of its effect upon mind and heart. Music purges, elevates, and forms the soul. I believe that the entire corps of teachers may comprehend and put into practice this theory, as you do yourself." "The stage," he once said to the actors of the Royal Theatre in Berlin, "is one of my arms of government." The Kaiser's taste for music and dramatic art is as much the expression of a natural disposition as it is a deliberate intention to please the German character for which music is notably one of its more preferred recreations. At the same time it is well worth noting that the Imperial dilettante isolates himself from almost the entire body of his subjects in his lack of appreciation for the author of Tannhauser. "I don'...